Pakistan in talks with Russia for procurement of sophisticated arms, says defence minister

Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan has said that Pakistan is in direct talks with the Russian Federation for the procurement of sophisticated military hardware, including air defence systems, fighter jets and battle tanks, reported Sputnik.

The minister confirmed that Islamabad was interested in buying weapons from Moscow in an interview to the Russian news agency on Thursday, in which he also talked about increased cooperation with Kremlin which mirrors Pakistan’s wider geo-strategic concerns.

“Air defence system is a different kind of weapon we are interested. We are very much interested in a very wide range of the Russian weapons technology. We are in negotiations [on air defence systems] and once we conclude negotiations, we will be able to announce them,” Khan told the Russian publication.

The defence minister also outlined that Islamabad was interested in acquiring T-90 tanks from Moscow as part of a long-term deal rather than committing itself to a single purchase.

“We are interested in tanks T-90 and it is not going to be a one-time purchase but it is going to be a long-term commitment,” Khan stated.

He added that negotiations for the purchase of Russian Su-35 fighter jets are in their early stages, and an agreement in this regard may be reached “in the next few years”, according to the Russian website.